Gift
by HeathenVampires
Summary: Post-Frozen 2. With everything now resolved, Elsa delights in her present and dreams of her future. She hadn't anticipated a painful gift from the past. (contains spoilers and feels, no pairing)
1. Chapter 1

**This idea occurred to me while watching Frozen 2 for the 3rd or 4th time, because apparently I needed some feels. And now I'm inflicting it on everyone else.**

**Spoilers for Frozen 2 galore.**

-GOTS-

Elsa stretched out along the ground, lazing on a layer of soft snow at the mouth of Ahtohallan, enjoying the sight of the sun just beginning to rise. After a month or so of settling in to her new life, this was her favourite way to spend mornings she wasn't in Arendelle. Gale whispered past her, lifting a few snowflakes into the air before swirling away to probably cause trouble elsewhere. Bruni was sleeping next to her, and the earth giants ought to be preparing to wake any minute now. Her magnificent steed, the _Nokk, _was generally only a thought away for Elsa, but for the moment she was content to rest where she laid, thinking about when she'd see Anna in a few days time for family game night.

The sounds of disturbed water surprised her, the Dark Sea still very calm save for where the Nokk rose out of the water. She hadn't called them.

"Something wrong?"

They tapped their hooves against the waters surface, not solidified by her ice so unable to cross to land. Elsa pushed herself up, Bruni cracking an eye open before deciding it wasn't important enough to wake up for, rolling over to a cooler patch of snow to resume snoring. Taking the few steps to waters edge, Elsa reached out to the water spirit, waiting for them to lean into her touch out of respect for the creature who allowed her to ride on their back.

"What is it?"

The spirits couldn't _speak _the way she could, but the connection they shared through nature meant they could communicate in some ways. With the Nokk, when Elsa laid her head against theirs, images flickered back and forth along their bond. The images shown to her were sharp, painful and had her stumbling back, gasping and immediately wishing for the comfort of her sister.

"What... why would you show _that_ to me?"

The Nokk shuffled their hooves, letting out a soft noise. In a way, Elsa knew that the Nokk had been the reason her parents ship sank, but it wasn't their fault. The spirits had been angered by the betrayal of Runeard, and the Nokk had refused to let _anybody _pass through the waters, regardless of who they were.

So really, _Runeard_ cost his own son his life, and cost his grandchildren their parents. Simply because he was prejudiced and power hungry.

Gesturing with their head, the Nokk asked Elsa to come back, to let them finish. Wiping the tears that had spilled down her cheeks already, Elsa dug down for the energy to trust the Nokk was showing her those images for a reason. She pressed her head to theirs again, and the next images were _haunting, _almost too unreal to believe. All the while they were showing Elsa the pictures, there was an undercurrent of tenderness to it.

The Nokk thought of it as a _gift_ to Elsa, something they had waited so long to give to her when they realised who the humans were.

"Alright. Take me to them. Stay here Bruni, you can't swim."

She climbed up on to the spirit-horses back, and wondered if she should have done some kind of... preparation, but her mind was running wild and her heart beating faster than the hooves of the water spriit.

They came to a stop somewhere... well, Elsa would have called it the middle, but distance was difficult to gauge when both Northuldra and Ahtohallan were barely visible in the distance, calm waters as far as her eyes could see.

"Here?"

The Nokk nodded, bowing their head.

"Promise to bring me up if I pass out?"

Another nod. Elsa took a deep gulp of air, dizzy with the sudden emotional surge but forcing herself to hold her breath as she patted the Nokk, who took the signal and they dove. At one with the ocean, the Nokk could cut through what seemed like miles of endless, darkening water in no time at all until they reached the bottom.

Elsa gasped, losing the air she'd stored for the dive and caring nothing for it in that instant.

Despite the years that had passed, they were still perfectly preserved. Kept by the Nokk for Elsa. A gift from spirit to spirit, almost like an apology for the raging seas taking their lives to begin with. They were still entwined, Agnarr's arms around Iduna as her face pressed into his chest. Just like the frozen water memory she'd seen before, when she and Anna discovered her parents final moments.

Her fingers reached out instinctively, but she withdrew before she touched them.

Elsa had missed her parents funeral, only stealing out to look at their stone markers in the very dead of night with one of the very few servants who knew Elsa had some kind of powers. If their bodies could be returned to Arendelle, then perhaps there could be a new one and Elsa could finally say _goodbye _to them properly.

She didn't realise how long she'd spent staring at their features, made ghostly and strange by the water, until the Nokk jerked her upwards and her chest burned for the lack of air. Gasping in a few breaths when they broke the oceans surface, Elsa trembled from head to toe and it was nothing to do with a chill of wet clothes.

"Will they be safe there for a little while longer?" The Nokk nodded again, turning their head to nuzzle softly against Elsa's hand "ok. Take me to Northuldra. I need to write to Anna, and talk to Yelena. Now we know mother was one of them, I should ask if they want to..."

Emotions stole her words anew - she'd never even _asked _how the Northuldra felt about Iduna's actions, saving Agnarr and leaving the forest, but also simply vanishing in the midst of so many lost to that needless violence started by Runeard. Steeling herself, Elsa cast one last glance to the surface of the ocean beneath, pained by the thought of leaving them but trusting her fellow spirit that she could come back.

As they approached Northuldra, Elsa slid down to solid ground again, and pulled the Nokk's head against her own, showing that she wouldn't let a bitter resentment for the past taint their future.

"Thank you."

-GOTS-

**Well, now thats out of my head, have some feels. There's cookies over there if you need one.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah I said one shot but I couldn't get ****_this _****out of my head either.  
**

-GIFT-

Anna still wept softly at her side, neither Bruni or Olaf able to slow the steady trail of tears. Elsa held her hand to try and comfort her, but she also had Yelena and the other Northuldra to deal with. Despite taking over as Queen, Anna was clearly not quite up to handling the politics here, and so Elsa did it in her stead.

"Our mother said she wished to be buried alongside our father, and our traditions state he must be buried alongside the rest of the Royal line-"

"Including your traitor king?"

Yelena's tone was sharp, but Elsa could see she was emotional. And truthfully, she had a _point._

"Runeard's body was never recovered, and I would not sully my family's burial grounds with him if it was. He betrayed everything that Arendelle stood for as much as he betrayed the Northuldra, and I make no excuses for him."

Slowly, Yelena nodded.

"That does make me feel better."

"Good. So, while I do intend on taking our parents back home to Arendelle for burial... if there is any _other_ way Arendelle can accomodate the Northuldra and your traditions, please let us know."

Many of the Northuldra were too young to remember the time before the mist, but Yelena was one who had survived, and as their leader, she had been implementing many traditions that were lost when the sky was taken away.

What a _cruel_ fate for the People of the Sun. Elsa internally cursed Runeard again. So much loss for his greed and bigotry.

"We bury our dead at sundown. It is the traditional time to say goodbye. And we will need some time to prepare Iduna's burial attire."

_Iduna _rolled so naturally from Yelena's tongue, the name sounding more at _home_ there than it had in Arendelle. Anna's hand tightened around hers, and Elsa squeezed back in turn.

"Time, I can definitely give you."

Her ice powers allowed her to preserve things, after all. The former King and Queen of Arendelle resided beneath reindeer pelts for the moment, protected by Elsa's ice as they awaited the true test of reconciliation between Arendelle and Northuldra. These people were as much a part of Elsa and Anna's heritage as their royal blood, but it was going to take time for them to learn to combine the two.

"We would also request we be allowed to perform our vuelie."

"Is that your singing?"

Anna finally spoke, voice still thick from crying. Yelena nodded.

"Yes. I also believe the spirits should all be in attendance."

Elsa bit her lip, thinking.

"Well, I will be there. Bruni and the Nokk go wherever I go, and Gale goes where she likes. Arendelle would have to be warned about the earth giants, but I agree. Anna?"

"Of course. I'm not sure if the castle would be able to hold the entire Northuldra tribe, but there's taverns and if we need to, we can set up space to camp. The reindeer might have to stay up in the woods if you plan to stay overnight, we don't have much grass or open space for them to eat, as most of our farmland is within the city walls... but Elsa is right. We'll make sure to accomodate you as much as possible. I am completely committed to true peace and connection. You guys are our family now, and you are always welcome in Arendelle. But yeah, I would ask that you let us know in advance if you're bringing the earth giants."

At that, Yelena actually let out a short chuckle.

"Agreed."

Anna had to get back to Arendelle sooner than she would have liked, clinging to Elsa with tears in her eyes before she composed herself enough to speak with the Northuldra leader again.

"How long do you think you will need Yelena? I have to begin preparations back in Arendelle."

The elder woman stood, eyes closed and head tilted upward toward the sun for a moment.

"We will join you when the sun has risen seven more times. It wouldn't do to keep them waiting any longer. May we keep Iduna here for now, before we return her to join your father?"

It was a test of trust, to leave their mother behind without an expectation of betrayal when their back was turned. Both sides proving that Runeard's actions would not define their future. Anna looked pained by the idea, but still, she nodded.

"Of course. Will your magic hold them both Elsa?"

"It should. Father will be placed in waiting back in Arendelle anyway, and it's pretty cold up here. Or so I'm told."

There was a twitch at the side of Anna's mouth - it was an old joke of theirs by now, that Elsa never felt the cold.

"Are you coming back with me?"

"I am, to see father home. I'll be back soon Yelena."

Elsa had expected it to feel wrong to seperate them, but it didn't. They would be buried together, as both had wished, but the time given to the Northuldra to mourn her in their own way first was the least they were owed after everything.

Bruni scampered up to rest on her shoulder, and Gale swirled past them as Elsa let her ice solidify the Nokk, the combination of their magic enough to allow the water spirit to dwell upon land for a time. It meant Elsa could make the trip back alongside Anna, who was asking Sven to be careful with the precious cargo as Kristoff and Ryder placed Agnarr's body into the sled. He'd be taken back by an Arendellian carriage for most of the journey, but there was a gap between the edge of the forest and the path the carriage could take.

At the edge of the trees, Elsa and Anna turned and bowed their heads to the Northuldra, Yelena and the other elders returning the gesture.

"See you in seven suns."

"You shall."

-GIFT-

**I couldn't find much on Sami funeral traditions, so I just sort of did the best I could and if there's anyone who _is _Sami reading this, I'm sorry and I welcome better education. **


End file.
